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Auto Shanghai 2015 will be Grandly Held in April

The 16th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai 2015) will be grandly held at National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from April 22 to April 29, 2015. With the theme of “Innovation for Upgrading,” Auto Shanghai 2015 will not only showcase how technical innovation deduces the grand prospect of future automobile industry development, but also enable visitors to feel the infinite charm result from the continuous coordination and development of automobile culture and human life.

Organizers of Auto Shanghai 2015 include China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Shanghai Sub-Council, and China Council for the Promotion of International trade, Automotive Sub-Council. Co-organizers include Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd. and MMG-Messe Muenchen International/IMAG as the European Co-organizer. China Machinery Industry Federation is the special supporter of the show while the Society of Automotive Engineers ofChina is the supporter. According to the exhibition schedule, April 20 to April 21 are press days open to media from domestic and overseas; April 22 to April 24 are professional days and April 25 to April 29 are public days.

With a general exhibition area of over 350,000sqm and 109 world first issue cars, Auto Shanghai 2015 has attracted the active participation of around 2,000 famous domestic and international exhibitors from 18 countries and regions, occupying all the 13 indoor halls of NECC (Shanghai). Among them, 8 halls are for passenger vehicles (1H, 2H, 4.1H, 5.1H, 6.1H, 7.1H, 7.2H, 8.2H); 1 hall is for commercial vehicles (3H); 3 halls are for auto parts manufacturers (4.2H, 5.2H, 6.2H); 1 hall is for media and press center (8.1H). Except the above, functional and service area such as catering area, resting area, clinic etc. can also be found in the exhibition center.

The Assembly of Domestic and International Auto-makers

Self-owned Brands: Domestic self-owned brands will joint effort to compete against international brands. The six largest domestic auto groups – SAIC Group, Dongfeng Motor, FAW, Changan Automobile, GAC Group and BAIC Motor will all display their group image with full range of brands and huge exhibition scale, showing the confidence and strength for becoming the world-class self-owned brand manufacturer possessing self innovation ability and key technologies. Chery group, Geely group, Great Wall, Brilliance Auto, BYD, JAC, Hawtai, ZOTYE, Soueast, Haima, Lifan, Leopaard and Landwind will release their amazing new cars respectively.

International Brands: The long-awaited Auto Shanghai 2015 will be a spectacular visual display attended by a roll call of global auto giants with their unprecedented model lineups.

German auto-makers like Mercedes-Benz, Smart, BMW, and MINI will display their new models as well as unique booth designs. Volkswagen Group, Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Bentley, Porsche, Lamborghini will also come to this stage. Toyota, Honda and Nissan from Japanese lineup will bring with all of their subsidiary brands. U.S.A. lineup, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler will gather in Auto Shanghai 2015 with their joint venture partners. It should mention that Lincoln, Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac, and Acura will attend independently, close to their competitor brands Benz, BMW, Jaguar & Land Rover, and Volvo. This arrangement will contribute to the brand promotions as well as facilitate visitors.

At the same time, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, WMGTA, Tesla all actively participate the exhibition. Moreover, Citroёn, Peugeot, Renault, DS, Hyundai, KIA, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Subaru, ZINORO will all assemble in Shanghai.

Commercial Vehicles: Dongfeng Motor, SAIC Group, FAW, Changan Commercial Vehicle together with SINOTRUK, BEIQI FOTON, Mercedes-Benz Vans, JAC, ISUZU and other main commercial vehicle manufacturers will gather in 3H. Moreover, many modified cars will be released on the show.

Auto Parts: Famous auto parts manufacturers such as BorgWarner, Johnson Controls, Bosch, Continental, WEICHAI, Brose, Valeo, NSK, ZF, Faurecia etc., and tire brands such as Bridgestone, Dunlop and sound system maker Bose will actively participate the exhibition.

 

Auto Shanghai 2015 Official APP

To ensure the timeliness and high efficiency of news coverage of Auto Shanghai 2015, the official APP will release various kinds of service information dynamically, so that exhibitors, media and visitors can be informed of the exhibition news and activities instantly. Users can download the APP by scanning a 2D code that can be found on the official website.

In addition, the Organizer also provides exhibition facilities such as information counters, lounge for elder and disabled people, resting area for lost children, clinic, ambulance, mobile communication support vehicle, mobile toilets etc., to offer a more convenient environment for visitors.

For more information, please visit the official website at www.autoshanghai.org or www.china-autoshow.com.

The Organizer of Auto Shanghai 2015
Tel: +86-21-62792828
Fax: +86-21-65455124
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd.

 

Automechanika, Istanbul 2015: Nine Pakistani companies to take part

Nine Pakistani automobile and tractor parts makers will be exhibiting their products in Automechanika, Istanbul 2015 – the flagship annual automobile exhibition of Turkey.

The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has got a pavilion in the trade exhibition to facilitate Pakistani exhibitors. The trade fair will be organised from April 9 to April 12, 2015.

Exhibitors include Millat Tractors, Darson Industries, Project Engineering Services, Meralastik Rubber and Engineering Products, Teletronix Industries, Ahmad Traders, Sohail Engineering Corporation, Matchless Engineering and Ammarian Industry.

Automechanika will be inaugurated on April 9 at the TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center. The automotive industry is one of the four most important industries of the Turkish economy.

The trade fair attracts some of the country’s largest automobile exporters together with allied industries related to the automobile industry.

Automechanika Istanbul 2014, the largest event ever held for the Turkish automotive industry, brought together 44,469 trade visitors from 123 countries. Some 1,475 exhibitors from 40 countries attended the event out of which almost half were from countries other than Turkey.

The fair was organised biennially until 2013, but the organisers turned it into an annual event from 2014 due to market’s interest.

Automechanika spotlights innovations and solutions in the fields of parts, systems, tuning, workshop equipment, bodywork and paintwork, car wash, IT and management.

Power steering and electric issues cause Toyota to recall 112,500 vehicles

CAMRY, HIGHLANDER AND RAV4 AMONG THE RECALLED

Toyota recalled 112,500 vehicles due to power steering and electric software issues. Among the affected are 110,000Camrys, Highlanders, and their hybrid versions from 2015, and RAV4 SUVs from model years 2014 and 2015. The second recall involves the RAV4 EV, which makes up the other 2,500 vehicles. Toyota reports that no accidents, injuries or fatalities have occurred due to the issues.

For the Camry and Highlander, the problem is said to have occurred during manufacturing. A circuit board used by the power steering system “may have been damaged,” which would make steering much more difficult, possibly leading to a crash.

The problem for the 2012-2014 RAV4 EV is a little different. According to Toyota, software issues can cause certain components in the electric motor to shift to neutral, which would kill the drive power. A warning light will be shown on the dashboard when either issue arises.

Vehicle owners will receive a letter in the mail and can then take their vehicle to a dealer to be fixed at no cost.

Reviewing the FAW V2 CAR

The passenger car segment in Pakistan has been pre dominated and monopolized by Japanese based OEM’s. The prior efforts to introduce and expand the competition till this very instant have been not very successful either due to the lack of Brand Recognition and Brand Prestige, Quality flaws in the products introduced or failure of establishment of Aftersales network. Previous attempts made belonged to both globally recognized brands as well as local industrial tycoons however all have had to bite the dust till this point on.
Al-HajFAW is a brand name which is well known in the heavy vehicle and trucking sector of Pakistan after having established its strong hold as the major shareholder in the Pakistani market and breaking the back of monopolistic industry. Until this very instant, Al-HajFAW has not made a serious push into the passenger car segment the only previous effort made from Al-HajFAW includes the introduction of passenger carriers named X-PV; however, with the introduction of FAWV2 the Chinese backed OEM has now placed its first foot hold in the car segment of Pakistan..
The V2 is based on a small hatchback platform based on Toyota Vitz, however the package on offer is a brilliant surprise.
Starting from the power plant the car is equipped with a 1.3L EFI engine equipped with VCT-i more commonly known to us as VVT or electronically controlled Variable valve timing, this technology is 100% acquired from Internationally very known Japanese brand. This means that the engine churns out 90bhp and that too with the availability of power and torque throughout the entire RPM band while not compromising the fuel economy. Claims for the approximated theoretical fuel economy have been made by the official FAW personnel to be somewhere around 16 Km/l however practical testing has revealed the fuel economy figures of around 11-13 Km/l depending obviously on the driving conditions and the accessories used by the driver.
The exterior is not as aesthetically appealing as compared to the stylish rival hatchbacks, however acloser observation reveals features that are eye catching and worth having. The tail lamps comprise of LED illumination while the car comes equipped with standard High Mount tail lamp mounted on rear spoiler featured alongside with the turn signal lamps available on the side view mirrors. The next big attraction is the standard 6 spoke alloy wheels that illuminate the exterior package.
When it comes to features of interior, the V2 surprises us with excellent illumination of the central console coupled with the barrel type instrument panel which houses the speedometer and tachometer. When it comes to electronic featuresV2 is fully equipped with the standard features one could possibly imagine within a local top end model. V2 comes with standard power windows and central locking features. The car also comes equipped with power steering for the ease of maneuvering across the urban environment.
For any car being spacious is a must these days. The height of the car is suitable enough to accommodate the tallest of passengers while the interior has enough room to easily accommodate 5 passengers. Talking about the boot, the space provided is comparable to the rival hatchbacks.
Safety is a prime concern of any family man willing to go for the purchase of any vehicle. The car comes equipped with standard twin frontal Airbags for driver and passenger not forgetting the fact that Seatbelts come as standard for all four passengers. The USP of the vehicle is availability of standard built in Crash door beams which reduce the body crumble in case of a side impact. This feature is found as an option in the prestige vehicles on offer by our local OEMS. FAW V2 also comes equipped with Bosch ABS and EBDsystems which ensure that braking effort is optimized even for the naive drivers.
The driving comfort is assured as the car houses independent suspension for all four wheels. This means that handling the odd pot holes and speed bumps is a charm and the passenger remains isolated from the resulting harm. With the local Emission standards compliance a necessity as per the instructions of EPA, the V2 comes with a Euro 4 emission rating standard, which outmatches most of its rivals.
As far as my personal perspectives are concerned, the V2 is fairly reasonable when it comes to comparison in between the imported vehicles, the V2 should be a better option. What we have observed in the past is a fact that though the imported used cars is worth buying only however when it comes to the availability and cost of spares the customer is left in tears. For the V2, this won’t be a problem as the vehicle comes from an already established OEM in Pakistan and it is certain that the customer would be able to find the spare parts at the nationwide 3Sdealerships network, if not road side vendors. So for those considering imported used car purchase in the near future due to additional features and performance on offer at an affordable price, it is recommended that they go for aVizi V2 test drive which won’t disappoint for sure amid their expectations.
We have to keep the fact in mind that European Automotive sector has clearly claimed that the streets of Europe would start pouring with Chinese based passenger cars within a matter of five years based on study that the Economic giant has taken over the manufacturing industry of the world. Considering this fact we have to consider the case of FAW V2 seriously. If the Chinese based cars would be able to take over the western world within a short time based on the fact that the product and manufacturing quality over the time has increased drastically while keeping the costs fairly very reasonable to the global competition mainly Japanese and Korean why isn’t it possible that they could establish a stronghold in our local sector as well? Let’s hope for the very best for V2 laying our trust on it to bring the winds of change for our local market. Cheers!
by Team Monthly AutoMark Magazinefav v2 pic3

Toyota exploring development

Toyota exploring development of synthetic catalysts in bid to reduce dependency on precious metals

Toyota is exploring the development of catalysts at the quantum level in a bid to reduce the dependency of the usage of precious metals in automotive catalytic converters as well as in fuel cells, according to a report.

The automaker’s Central R&D Labs is closely studying metal cluster chemistry, in which some naturally occurring clusters are known to be involved in catalytic reactions. These have sparked off significant interest in the potential use of synthetic clusters in industrial applications, the Green Car Congress reports.

Research has been carried on different types of reactions involving metal clusters deposited on a support material to determine the relationship between these atomically-controlled cluster sizes and catalytic activity. Findings have indicated that catalytic activity is very much determined by a number of parameters – the clusters’ electronic structure, their geometry on a support material as well as the interaction between cluster and material.

Enhancing the catalytic activity of some clusters – by controlling cluster size and the interaction between components – could greatly reduce the utilisation of precious metals as catalytic agents, though the work is still very much one in progress, the automaker says.

 

Why People Buy Used Imported Cars Instead Of New Local Cars

In the past decade, the demand of imported cars has grown to an immense level, giving a tough time to the local manufacturers, who once used to enjoy the monopoly of selling their cars with whatever they had to offer. Now, with the technological advancement and a vast variety of substitutes available, the local manufacturers are facing a hard time keeping up with the market.

This article highlights the prominent facts which make the buyer more inclined towards a used imported car rather than a brand new locally manufactured one.
Imported cars, though they’re used, still have more value for your cash compared to a local one. For reference, let’s make a comparison. In the budget of 2 million rupees, the local automakers only 2 choices, while the imported used cars market offer at least 6 choices.

In imports, you can get the fuel saving hybrids with all latest gadgets and safety options, and in locals, you get the older technology equipped Honda City or Toyota Corolla. Not that they are bad cars, but they are expensive and do not offer the same value for money like the imported ones offer. In simple words, the locally available cars are over-priced and under-equipped vehicles.

Let’s take the same cars we’ve discussed above and squeeze them a bit more. The locally assembled cars offer no airbags, average in-car-entertainment systems, manual air conditioning systems, limited and manual seat adjustments and a few more features, which can be ignored, but they still matter. The imports, on the other hand have a lot more to offer than these local ones, and that too with a superior material and build quality. They are equipped with over 6 airbags, Assisted Anti-Lock Braking (ABS) systems, great in-car-entertainment systems, and almost everything is electrically controlled including the air-conditioning.

In the Hybrid car category of the imports, the fuel consumption is cut to half of as compared to the local ones. Moreover, they still cost less than the new ones, because you don’t get to pay the recently introduced ‘sales tax’ which varies upon engine capacity.

In a nutshell, it is clear why the imported used cars are taking over the roads of Pakistan, because in this age of technology, the average buyer if well informed and know that imports offer much more value and squeeze more out of the money spent on them when compared to the locally assembled cars, all while knowing and not caring that the imported cars are actually used cars.

Author Bio:

Fahad Mehmood is a keen car enthusiast and a photographer by profession. He’s been an active PakWheels member since the beginning. When he’s not writing about cars, he’s shooting people and things with his camera.

Meet Vega, Sri Lanka’s all-electric supercar

At first blush, it’s lunacy – a 900-horsepower, all-electric supercar from an island nation best known for tea and tourism, not tech.
Yet the team behind the stunning Vega sports car has credentials – and financial backing – befitting similar passion projects emerging in California’s Silicon Valley. The effort is the brainchild of technology entrepreneur Harsha Subasinghe, chief executive of Colombo-based CodeGen, a developer of software for the travel and tourism industry. Building a luxury sports car is certainly a departure for Subasinghe, but one with broader objectives than simply a quick zero-to-60mph time. (That’ll be 3.5 seconds, according to the Vega’s builders.)

Subasinghe envisioned the Vega not only as an all-electric thrill machine, but a demonstration of Sri Lankans’ ability to develop advanced transportation technologies.

“Getting people to believe that a complex engineering project like a supercar can come from Sri Lanka is a huge challenge for us,” says Beshan Kulapala, the car’s project manager. “This country produces some of the best engineers in the world, but in the past we’ve been afraid to commit to innovative product development for fear of losing, or being ridiculed.”

From a purely technological perspective, there seems little chance of that. The car bears a sophisticated silhouette befitting a boutique hypercar, and considerable innovation beneath that sheet metal. Dual electric motors power the rear wheels, producing a combined 900 horsepower with 530 pound-feet of torque. Carbon-fibre construction helps hold vehicle weight to about 3,000lbs – rather remarkable, given the density of the on-board lithium-ion battery packs. The team, comprising over 30 engineers and other personnel, is developing what Kulapala – a 13-year veteran of Intel with a PhD in electrical engineering – calls a state-of-the-art motor controller, and new thinking around battery packaging. Says Kulapala: “The lithium battery modules have a number of innovations in packaging, safety, battery management, system hardware, and firmware and software., “Our eDiff [electronic differential] will also run cutting-edge algorithms to control the vehicle in different road and driving conditions.

Codegen Vega

(CodeGen International)

Will it have the same track-attuned chops of a Ferrari or Lamborghini? Not likely, but nor will it be a slouch. That 3.5-second zero-to-60 time places it firmly in supercar territory, and the in-house engineering should help the vehicle – which is expected to cost an Aventador-like $400,000 – achieve a 150-mile range and a top speed of 150mph.

The team has the engineering pieces in place, but bringing the Vega to market may be the  larger challenge. Raw materials and precision tooling needed for key components are not always present in Sri Lanka, Kulapala says. But Sri Lanka is full of surprises. Per capita income of the country has doubled since 2005, and the nation’s cellular subscriber base has grown 550% between 2005 and 2010. Sri Lanka was also the first country in south Asia to introduce mobile broadband technology.

“With the vast amount of data available online, we are able to learn and build expertise that we would otherwise lack,” Kulapala says. “Sure, we will need time to build experience, but with disciplined research, we are able to not fail where others have already have, and we can be quick to design and engineer products.”

CodeGen executive Subasinghe has invested more than $500,000 in the initial development costs to get the idea off the ground. Of course, budgets will head into the tens of millions once the development and testing of prototypes begins, and the company is taking the funding process one step at a time. Kulapala sees this proceeding at an aggressive pace, with the first prototype rolling out by April 2015 and the technology tuning and certification process following.

As every upstart supercar maker discovers soon enough, it’s a long road from daydream to reality. Can the Vega make the trip? Sri Lankans have demonstrated impressive tenacity and innovation in recent years, rebuilding after a brutal civil war and a devastating tsunami. If any country seems equipped to rise to such an occasion, it’s this one.

Suzuki Pakistan introducing Kizashi Car in Pakistan …………yes tomorrow in Lahore

Suzuki Kizashi is the jewl in the 4 wheel product range of Suzuki. It is equipped with a 2.4L engine accompanied with CVT for smooth and progressive acceleration.

The car is equipped with electronic sensors to illuminate the headlamps and activate wipers. Along with the provision of an advanced driveline, the car has all the high end driver and passenger amenities with the provision of electrically adjustable seats.

The car provides ample space for the average family man too. As far as safety aspects are concerned the car is equipped with ESP,ABS,EBD and SRS Airbags too. So all those looking forward to earn the luxuries of driving in comfort and style watch out for Kizashi!